ARM plans to demonstrate prototype phones based on ARM processors and Google's Android operating system next week, possibly paving the way for the chip designer to join Google's Open Handset Alliance.

It won't be the first Android prototype to get a public airing, but this one will come on one of the biggest stages of the year for the mobile-phone industry. An ARM representative distributed invitations Wednesday to come see and play with the Android prototypes next week in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress.

ARM's technology is found at the heart of almost every mobile phone on the planet. The company designs the processor cores that companies like Texas Instruments, Samsung, and Marvell manufacture into chips that run cell phones and smartphones. But ARM was a curious omission from the initial list of companies that agreed to join Google's Open Handset Alliance when it was announced in November along with the Android software.

Android is based on a Linux kernel that already supports ARM-based processors. Software development for the ARM world, however, can be tricky, which is why ARM has close relationships with all the other mobile-software vendors in the world. Different handset makers utilize ARM's cores in different ways, which makes it a challenge to create software that works consistently across phones from multiple vendors.

And coming off a worse-than-expected fourth quarter, ARM's probably looking for some positive momentum. The ARM representative declined to comment on whether the scheduled demonstrations meant the company would be joining the Open Handset Alliance, but ARM is clearly stepping up its public support for Android before phones using the software arrive later this year.

About the author

Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Google, as the most prominent company on the Internet defends its search juggernaut while expanding into nearly anything it thinks possible. He has previously written about Apple, the traditional PC industry, and chip companies. E-mail Tom.
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